Maybe I'll See You Again, Someday
by Junipertree
Summary: Kel's been a knight for nearly twenty years... on the way to Corus, she meets somebody again.


This was just a whim… no sequel

This was just a whim… no sequel. Probably.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and Lady Janniyere. I heard that Cleon was getting betrothed to some noble lady and this would be like way afterwards, when Kel's been a knight for like twenty years. 

~*~

****

Maybe I'll See You Again, Sometime

Keladry of Mindelan sat astride her chestnut stallion, Plumleaf. Peachblossom, the old warhorse, was gone, and only a small twinge in her heart and his memory were left. She had been a knight for… how long? Nineteen, twenty years? Gray was starting to thread its way through her hair, and there were crow's feet in the corners of her eyes.

She could just remember, oh, so clearly- the years as a page, the years as a squire. Years full of hardships, and her friends… that all seemed to have gone away now. The repetition of her duty was something to rely on. She had had a crush on Neal- she gave a little smile at that thought. Neal was married to some noble lady, now. Kel couldn't even remember her name.

She remembered Cleon, a little wistfully. They had been close, but- his parents had betrothed him to some lady with rich parents, money Kennan badly needed. The lady had died, maybe four years ago, of a fever that had went around. Kel hadn't seen Cleon since then.

Now her life seemed… empty. Duty and responsibility were empty compared to friendship and love. But she just couldn't bring herself to face them all again- why? She didn't know.

There were other lady knights now, almost as many as the men. Sometimes Kel watched them practice, and helped them along. It was nice, to see them, young, and full of energy. These days Kel was mostly alone on the roads, or doing border patrols. The life of a knight wasn't exiting, or adventurous. The immortals were reduced in number, there were no wars, Tortall was at peace. If she had wanted to, she could have stayed at Mindelan and done nothing; the outcome would have been the same.

Keladry sighed and turned Plumleaf around on the dusty road to Corus. She could see a mounted figure on the road just ahead of her, watching her. Kel drew her eyebrows together and picked up her mount's pace to a trot. His back was to the sun, so she couldn't quite make out his figure. He was waving, trotting towards her.

"Hey Kel!" he cried. It took a while for that voice to register in her mind. "Hey Kel!" he said again. "Forget me already?"

She squinted in the sun, and could just make out his features. "Cleon?" she said, and jumped off Plumleaf. 

Cleon slid off his horse and gave her a big, dusty hug. "No, it's Joren. I've come back from the dead to haunt you."

Kel laughed, and let go, looking up at him. "I haven't seen you for- years. What have you been doing lately?"

Cleon winked. "Oh, the usual, slaying dragons, rescuing damsels in distress. Like any other knight in shining armor."

Kel punched his shoulder playfully. "So now your armor's shining, is it? Looks like it's covered in dust, to me."

"What have you been doing, then?" he asked her.

"Riding around and doing nothing but getting saddlesore and dusty."

"You look it." The was a long silence between them. "I suppose you heard about Lady Janniyere," he said after a while.

"About her death?" Kel paused. "Yes. I'm sorry."

Cleon sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Don't be. She wasn't bad, really, but-"

"You didn't love her."

"Right on."

"And you feel bad because you don't feel worse."

"You're right too often, you know that?"

Kel chewed the ends of her hair, a nervous habit she couldn't seem to shake. "Maybe."

Cleon looked at her intently. "Well, Kel-"

"Yeah?"

"You know I- well-" he broke off and kissed her softly. Kel put her arms around him, savoring it, and then turned away.

Cleon sighed again. "We're still friends, right?"

Kel raised her gloved hand to push the hair out of his face and tuck it behind her ear. She wasn't quite sure anymore- there had been something lost between them, in those years apart. They had never been lovers, but she wasn't sure that closeness could ever be restored. Maybe someday…

"We're still friends, Cleon." Kel smiled at him.

"Yeah, well." Cleon mounted again and tapped his horse's sides. 

"Maybe I'll see you again, sometime," she said after him, watching him ride away. "And maybe I will die a virgin." 

_______________________________________________________________________ 

Hey, I thought it was pretty good. Review, please! 


End file.
